Vehicle components and systems have become more functional over the years. In particular, the types of capabilities, settings, and options associated with the features have also significantly improved. The number of input devices that are presented and are available to the driver and passenger have also increased. Consequently, to operate and/or manipulate these vehicle features has become a more complex undertaking for a user. In addition, this increase has resulted in the crowding of the vehicle consoles, door panels, center panels, and dashboards with numerous push buttons, turning knobs, displays, and the like. Accordingly, users are finding that this crowding has resulted in a diminished cosmetic appeal of the vehicle. In addition, this crowding of inputs and outputs leads to more user confusion as to the location and operation of options that are available. This results in the unnecessary over complication of mundane tasks associated with many vehicle features.
Recently, vehicle manufacturers have been using graphical user interface systems to provide users with added functionality and versatility when controlling vehicle features. Such technology allows many functions of the vehicle to be accessed, manipulated, and utilized by user inputs on a touch screen. Many of these user interface systems utilize numerous interface menus for changing settings for vehicle subsystems. For example, manufacturers have provided various user interfaces that are associated to specific vehicle systems that include separate settings menus. However, as with the numerous physical inputs, these virtual systems tend to be confusing and in some instances cumbersome for the user to operate.
For example, the increase in the crowding of push buttons and turning knobs are replaced with an increase of confusing touch screen menus, touch input buttons, and complicated joy stick controlled interfaces. During instances when the user is attempting to change basic settings associated with vehicle features, this technology typically requires users to search between different interfaces, screens, and a variety of different settings menus to actually find the vehicle function settings that are desired. Many times the complexity associated with this approach causes users to abandon the attempt to find, understand, and change settings that are associated with the vehicle features. As a result, many of the settings that vehicle manufacturers have designed or introduced into their vehicles are never discovered or utilized by users.
In many instances, users turn to even more complex and lengthy paper or digital based vehicle manuals to try to understand the functionality associated with their vehicle, and to determine how to control the numerous settings. However, the complexity associated with trying to find an explanation within the voluminous vehicle manuals causes users unnecessary frustration as they cannot find the information they are searching for. In many cases when users do in fact find this information, they incur difficulty in implementing settings changes due to the complexity of the process detailed within these manual.